


The Daltons - Niky to the rescue

by Niky_94



Category: Les Dalton | The Daltons (Cartoon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-11-05 13:23:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11014320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niky_94/pseuds/Niky_94
Summary: Every family has to endure hard times, and the Daltons are no different.Niky is sick and tired of her brothers thinking she's too young and inexperienced to help them.But when Joe, Jack, William and  Averell find themselves facing a terrible danger, it's up to Niky to leave in search of her brothers, putting everything at risk to save her family.





	The Daltons - Niky to the rescue

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the animated series "The Daltons", by Xilam Animations.

NIKY’S POV:

It was a morning like any other at the penitentiary.  
Rays of sunshine slipped in through the thick bars of the cell and rested on my face, warm and dazzling.  
I woke up, bothered by the intense light, and rubbed my eyes, still bleary after the long sleep. With a yawn, I got up. I stretched, and sat up. The covers slid down, exposing my legs but I didn’t pay much attention to it. I was still too sleepy yo worry about it. Morning always comes too soon.  
Muttering, I got down from my bed. The green bench nailed to the wall creaked under my weight, but I didn’t worry this time either. Like the rest of the furniture, the beds were old and ruined. But after all – as the warden liked to remind to anyone who dared to complain – that was a prison, not a hotel.  
After stretching a little more I grabbed a towel, my old toothbrush, a clean clothes and I exited the cell heading for the bathroom the inmates shared.  
Luckily for me, the other jailbirds were long gone, and I didn’t have to bother about any intrusive look.   
As always, the water that come out from the rickety pipes was far from warm, and I let out a little shriek when I dived under the spurt. Well, at least I was awake now.  
Once I was done I quickly got out from the shower, wiped myself dry with the towel and get dressed. I tried my best to tuck a big lock of dark brown hair behind my ear, but it kept sneaking away to cover my left eye. I quickly checked myself in the mirror and straightened my long green dress.  
Then I gathered my things and left the bathroom.

A few minutes later, I was walking down the prison yard, headed for the cafeteria. I walked in, to be welcomed by the inmates’ clamor. The men were chatting eagerly, chewing with their mouths open.  
I narrowed my eyes behind the lenses of my glasses and scanned the crowded room. It didn’t take long for me to notice four slender men, seated at a lonely table at the other side of the room. Joe, Jack, William and Averell had already occupied our favorite spot, and were slowly eating their breakfast.  
With a smile, I crossed the room and joined my brothers.  
“Hey, look who’s here.” Jack exclaimed as he saw me.  
“It’s about time you got here!” Joe muttered.  
“Sorry I’m late, guys.” I replied, taking a seat between joe and Jack. “I really couldn’t wake up today.”  
“Like any other day.” Jack retorted with a shrug.  
William nodded. Soon after, I noticed a frown starting to form on his face.  
Oh dear, I though. Here we go.  
“You need to stop staying up so late at night.” he said. “You always end up having trouble to get up the next day.”  
I shook my head. “I do get up – waking up, now that’s the deal.”  
Averell, at the other end of the table, giggled and buttered a slice of bread.  
William rolled his eyes exasperated, but handed me a big mug.  
“Thank you.” I said, picking up the coffeepot as well. I poured a generous amount of coffee in the mug, breathing in deeply as the dark beverage released its strong aroma. How I loved the smell of coffee - !  
A little cloud of steam rose from the mug, heating up my cheeks on its way to the ceiling.  
“You should cut down on coffee as well.” Was the new admonishment, this time from Jack. “You are going to feel sick.”  
“Guys – would you please stop worrying?” I snapped. “I’m not a child anymore!”  
William shook his head. “I’ll believe that when you stop waking me up in the middle of the night to ask me to help with the homework you had forgotten.”  
Well, that was accurate. Nevertheless, I had to answer to that. And I would have, hadn’t I been interrupted by a voice. A shrill, high-pitched voice that I would recognize anywhere. Especially since it usually means I’m in for trouble.  
“Good morning!” chirped Miss Betty, walking towards our table.  
“Good morning, Miss Betty.” Joe, Jack, William and Averell answered all together.  
I frowned. They sounded just like little kids greeting their teacher. I shook my head. “Yeah. Good morning.”  
“Lovely day, isn’t it?” the woman went on with a mawkish smile.  
“Oh yes, Miss. A lovely day indeed!” William answered promptly, his cheeks way pinker than usual.  
I rolled my eyes. What did my brother see in someone like her? Sure, she was clever. And maybe -and I said maybe – I could have said she was pretty enough: hair the color of fire, blue eyes, a cute little nose and a tall and thin body, that she carried around with the grace of a princess. A little delicate comfit wrapped up in a dark red jacket with long white sleeves and a long red skirt.  
Nah – definitely not my type.  
Miss Betty brought a hand to her face and giggled cutely about something Averell had just said.  
I narrowed my eyes, darting a look in her direction. I didn’t like the way William looked at her: like if there was no other woman on Earth. I mean, what about me?! What’s fun about having a big brother if someone else steals it from you?  
I decided to put an end to that. “What are you doing here, Miss Betty?”  
I hoped I’d successfully hidden the annoyance in my voice. Apparently, I was wrong.  
Jack pinched my arm lightly. “Behave…” he whispered.  
Restraining myself from sticking my tongue out at him, I turned to the woman, and somehow managed to give her a small smile.  
Miss Betty chuckled. “Mr. Peabody asked me to remind everyone that we’re visiting the Broken Wings’ village.”  
I started, and jumped on my feet. “So… No school today?” I asked, bewildered. “But – that’s not fair, I spent up all night studying for today’s Math’s test!”  
She shook her head. “If you had paid attention in class yesterday, you would have herd me saying today’s lessons were going to be canceled.”  
“…Oh.”  
William shoot me a look and I immediately sat down, my cheeks red as cherries.   
Oh-uh, I thought. Bad moon rising! I knew that expression far too well. Soon, I started to fear the ones on my face weren’t going to be the only cheeks red as cherries.  
Among my brothers, William had always been the most keen on learning and studying. Therefore, he had always felt he had to look after me when it came to school matters. Even if that meant giving me a ton of extra homework whenever I got a note or a bad mark. And, quite frankly, that happened quite often. Although, that was the first time Miss Betty had ever scolded me in front of William, though.   
I sighed. Two against one – how was that fair?  
To my luck, Joe drew the attention on himself.  
“I hate school trips.” he grumbled, taking a big sip of coffee.   
“Aww, come on, Joe, it’ll be fun! You’ll see!” Miss Betty hurried to assure him in a caressing voice, trying to sound convincing. She looked around, then smiled. “Well, I’d better go now. I still have a lot of people to remind of our trip.”  
My brothers nodded, and waved their hands to say goodbye.  
“See you later.” the woman said, and she went on her way.  
“So… You weren’t paying attention?” William asked, turning to me.  
Yeah, sure, now he remembered I was there!  
I felt a shiver rundown my spine. All of a sudden, I found myself hoping for Miss Betty to come back. But then I realized I wouldn’t have been in trouble, if she hadn’t told William on me. Anger started boiling inside my chest again, as a pot of water placed on a campfire. I shrugged, and spread some strawberry jam on my bread.  
“What’s wrong, big brother? Are you worried I might upset your girlfriend?”  
“Wha-what?!” William’s face immediately lost all color, only to regain it immediately after, to the point that he started to resemble the strawberry jam.  
I sneered. That’s for making sheep eyes to Miss Betty!  
My brother looked around to make sure nobody could hear him. Then he leaned over the table, shortening the distance between us. “She is not my girlfriend!” he whispered, his cheeks reddening more with each word,  
I chuckled maliciously, and bit on the slice of bread. “No, she is not. – Not yet.”  
If looks could kill, I’d be dead. “Stop it!”  
“Hold your horses, Romeo.” I responded with an eye roll. “Don’t ruffle your feathers, I was just kidding.”  
“This isn’t funny, Niky!”  
“Maybe for you.” I said with a grin. “I’m having a blast!”  
“Will you two cut it out?!” Joe intervened in a harsh tone, putting an end to our squabble. He crossed his arms, sorted and addressed us with a stern glare. “If you have so much energy, try to focus and think of a way to escape!”  
Now it was my turn to snort. “What for?” I asked, shrugging. “In the end, we’re all gonna have to do what you say, as always.”  
“She does *chomp* have a point *chomp* Joe.” said Averell. He had just stuffed his mouth with the seventh slice of bread and jam, and it was now chewing heartily on it.  
“Shut up, imbecile!” Joe ordered bluntly. Then he turned to me, rising his finger warningly. “And I don’t know what’s gotten into you today, but you’d better stop being such a brat unless you’re looking for trouble.”  
William, that had resumed looking around to make sure nobody heard our conversation, turned to me and nodded, giving me a look.  
At this point, I had to give up. “Ah – all right!”  
That very moment, the cafeteria door opened.  
Mr. Peabody -as always escorted by Pete and Emmett, his most trusty guards- entered the room. He was a very short man, just a bit taller than Joe. He had thin light brown hair, green eyes and a chin that was clearly too big for such a small man. He reached the center of the cafeteria and cleared his voice. “Attention, please.”  
Not even a single one of the inmates turned around. They kept on chatting, yelling and clapping their hands. Clearly, they thought they had much more interesting things to say that the prison warden.  
Mr. Peabody didn’t give up. He got on the tip of his toes, stretched his arms up as far as he could and started waving like mad, trying to get the jailbirds’ attention. “Attention, please! … OH DAMMIT, BE QUIET!”  
The racket ceased. Everyone in the room froze and turned to the director. Suddenly, the cafeteria seemed the quietest place on Earth. Even flies seemed to have stopped buzzing.  
“Thank you.” Mr. Peabody muttered, straightening his green jacket and fixing his tie. He cleared his voice again, and said, “All you, get on your feet and gather up in the yard. The stagecoach will leave in five minutes, and we don’t need to keep it waiting because someone is late.”  
Joe dark eyes sparkled. “Hey, now this is a great idea!” he whispered, turning to us. From the look on his face, I cold tell he was already plotting something.  
“We pretend we get on the wagon, and once everybody else is gone –“  
“And I’m talking especially to you, Daltons!” the director admonished, as if he had read Joe’s mind.  
I turned around, and noticed he was giving us a suspicious look.  
“Grrr!” Joe growled, gritting his teeth. “Darn it! It was a perfect plan!” he complained, shaking his head. He clenched his fists and followed the other prisoners in the yard, stomping his feet at every step.  
I shook my head. Joe was the eldest among us, yet he could act in such a childish way! I stood up reluctantly and went after my brothers.  
In the center of the yard, a big wagon was waiting for us. Two dappling fast-looking horses dig the ground with their hooves, impatient. I walked to them and caressed their snouts. I smiled. They reminded me so much of my beloved Chock-Chip. Nostalgia hit me hard as I thought about those brief moments during our escapes when we got the chance to come home to Ma’ and I could ride my mare through the endless prairies. I sighed. I liked living with Joe, Jack, William and Averell, but sometimes I really missed home.  
All of a sudden, a happy voice brought me back to reality.  
“School trip! Yaaay!” Averell shouted, excited as ever. He got on the wagon with a jump. Watching closely, I realized his arms were loaded with food.  
When he sat down next to Joe, my brother snorted. “What are you doing with all that stuff, imbecile?” he asked, his patience already running thin.  
“I brought a little snack for the trip!” Averell answered with a smile. “Would you like a chocolate-chip cookie, Joe?”  
“No…” he muttered, shaking his head.  
“I do!” I announced as I passed past them to reach the last free seat, right behind them. I loved chocolate-chip cookies!  
“Here you go, sis.” Averell chirped, handing me a cookie.  
“Thanks, big brother!” I smiled. I sat down and took a big bite out of the cookie. Delicious!  
“You shouldn’t eat while we’re travelling.” Joe scolded. “You know it always upsets your stomach!”  
Here we go again. I snorted, and shook my head. “Would you relax, just for once? I know what I’m doing!” With those words, I swallowed what was left of the cookie.  
Joe shook his head as well. “Fine, but don’t come complaining if you feel sick.”

Despite Joe’s gloomy predictions, we had a nice journey. The inmates sang a few old miners’ songs. I joined them for a while, but when Mr. Peabody decided to brush up the songs he used to sing when he was young, I gave up. I was way too young to know those songs, and I was quite sure even my mother had never heard them. And that says a lot.  
I tried to delete the picture of the director riding a dinosaur that had invaded my mind as I started wonder just how old Mr. Peabody must have been, and I looked at the prisoners.  
Miss Betty was standing among them. She waved her arms like a conductor, directing the improvised choir with her usual enthusiastic smile.  
I was about to join in again, when I notice William was staring at her again. His eyes were half-opened half-closed, as if he was daydreaming, and his lips were opened into a stupid smile.  
And there’s the sheep’s eyes again, I thought. If he doesn’t give it a rest we’ll soon have to figure how to fit a manger in the cell.  
But to be honest, I had to admit I did envy William a bit. Even though Miss Betty was not aware of his feelings for her, he had the chance to see her everyday. I too had someone special in my life, but the law kept us separated. Billy the Kid was imprisoned in Denver, Colorado, miles and miles away from the penitentiary my brothers were in. I wasn’t an inmate, and I could have gone to visit him, but I was sure Joe would have never allowed it. He had always opposed to our relationship and he was a very jealous older brother – he would have never let me see him alone. The only way I had left to communicate with Billy was through letters. Billy didn’t know how to read, but he had always found a way to get back to me -probably having someone else writing for him- so that I was certain his feelings for me hadn’t changed. I missed him so much!  
A sudden jolt distracted me from my thoughts. I looked around, and I realized we had reached our destination. The driver pulled the reins, stopping the horses.  
Once the wagon had completely stopped, the inmates started to get off, as always under the vigilant eye of Pete and Emmett.  
I jumped off the wagon and took another look around. Crazy-Wolf, the indian chief, stood in front of us on the prairie, surrounded by some very big warriors, that would have easily scared the bravest pioneers. As always, Crazy-Wolf wore a big feathered headgear. The tips of the long black-and-white feathers swayed delicately with the breeze.  
Next to him stood Fabulous-Falcon, the witchdoctor, whose face was always covered by a giant red mask. He waved his hand, greeting us.  
The Broken-Wings came closer to have a look at us, making sure they stand behind their chief respectfully. A real welcoming committee.  
“Take a deep breath, guys.” Joe said, jumping off the wagon. “The sweet scent of freedom…”  
Jack, William and I imitated him, inhaling deeply.  
Then, all four of us started to cough.  
“What’s this smell?!” Jack moaned, holding his nose.  
“The air must be poisoned!” William exclaimed, panicking. “WE’RE GONNA BE AXPHIXIATED!”  
“HOLD YOUR BREATH, YOU MORONS!” Joe ordered, his face white as a sheet.  
I did as I was told, trying to hold my breath as longer as I could. I looked around, alarmed, and noticed that no one else seemed to have noticed anything. “But – what…?!”  
“Hey, what’s up with you, guys?” Averell asked, peeping out from behind us.  
“Hold your breath, idiot!” Joe muttered through his teeth. “Do you wanna choke?”  
“What are you talking about, Joe?” Averell asked again, blinking.  
I took a closer look at him, and my gaze fell on the plate he was holding. Was that…?  
“Averell,” I asked suspiciously, “What are you eating?”  
“Oh, this?” he said, showing us the small plate. “Gorgonzola canapés. They’re so good, would you like one?”  
“Gorgonzola?!” Joe echoed in a chocked voice. “So that’s where the smell came from!”  
“Poisoned gas, huh?” Jack said, crossing his arms and darting a look at his twin.  
William blushed and gave him a sheepish smile.  
A smile spread across my face. I tried to restrain myself, but the whole scene was just too hilarious. I busted out laughing, holding my belly with both hands.  
Joe, however, was far from amused. He jumped Averell and roughly took the plate from him, tossing it away.  
“B-But – my gorgonzola!” Averell whined as he watched what was left of his tasty snack falling on the ground.  
Joe grasped him by his yellow-and-black striped jacket and pulled him closer. “Listen to me, Averell: this might be our chance to escape. – So try not to do something stupid!” he barked. He let go of him, and Averell fell on the ground. “And that goes for you as well, missy.” Joe added, turning to me.  
I started. “Me?!” I protested, offended. “That’s not fair, I didn’t do anything!”  
“For now.” he grumbled, sticking his hands into his pockets. “Come on, let’s go.”  
I crossed my arms against my chest, angry. That was so unfair! I kicked a clod of dirt away with the tip of my boot, sending it far away. I was so mad I didn’t even realize William was now standing by my side.  
“Come on, Niky, don’t be like that… You know Joe didn’t mean to upset you.”  
I sighed. Among my brothers, William had always been the one that always understood my feelings. There were times I didn’t need to speak at all: he always knew what troubled me. And every time he did his best to comfort me.  
“Yeah, I know…”  
“Come on, let’s go find the others.” he said softly, putting an arm around my shoulders.  
I smiled at him. “Ok.” I nodded my head and followed him. Soon enough, we reached the rest of the group.  
“The tour begins this way.” Fabulous-Falcon said. “Please, follow me.”  
As I followed the line that had formed after the shaman, I looked around. I’d never had a chance to visit the Broken-Wings village properly, before. Of course I’d been there with my brothers during their escapes, but it had always been only a passing-through thing. After all, when you’re trying to escape from jail in the middle of the night, followed by guards with rifles and horses, you don’t have much time to go sightseeing.   
The sun was shining high in the sky, illuminating the colorful fabric of the teepees and the big intertwined mats. A small group of children was happily chasing after a marmot, under the supervision of a few elderly indians. The squaws were taking care of the food, while the warriors were patrolling the camp.  
I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply, filling my lungs with the fresh air of the prairie. How I missed being able to stay out in the open air! Everything about living in that small village seemed wonderful. Open spaces, no bars, no walls…  
Suddenly, my eyes went wide. I smiled. An idea had just crossed my mind, unexpected as a lighting on a sunny day. I immediately started to look around, searching for Joe. I must spoke to him! When I finally spotted him, my eyes brightened up.  
“Joe!” I called, running towards him. “Hey, Joe! There’s something I must tell you!”  
“What’s wrong, flea, why are you so agitated?” he asked, looking at me as if I was crazy.  
“I’ve had an idea, Joe!” I proudly announced. I looked around to make sure no one could hear me, and I leaned closer. “An idea – to help you escape.” I whispered.  
Joe started. He made sure the coast was clear too, then he took my hand and dragged me behind a teepee. “Spit it out.”  
“Ok. Here goes: there are no bars or walls, here, right?.” I asked with a smile. Finally, I had his attention. Finally, he would have listened to my plan. Finally, he would have seen I wasn’t inexperienced and clumsy as he thought I was. Finally, he would have let me help.  
“No, there aren’t.” he replied, skeptical.  
I decided not to let his pessimism rain on my parade, and I went on, “And that means someone could easily run away from here…”  
Joe’s eyes went wide. He was starting to understand where I was going with that. But then, he shook his head. “It’ll never work, Niky.” he declared. “Peabody would never leave us here. And with the guards keeping a close eye on us all the time, it’s impossible to escape without them noticing.”  
I shook my head as well. “I wasn’t talking about you, Joe. I was talking about me.”  
He looked at me, puzzled. “What do you mean?”  
Here we go, I said to myself, filled to the brim with excitement. My time is here!  
I quickly checked around again, and I whispered, “If I decided to stay here at the village, Peabody couldn’t oppose to it, given the fact I’m not an inmate.” I explained, my lips curled up into a sly smile. “And with this innocent face, the indians would never suspect of me.” And to reinforce my statement, I performed my best puppy-eyes, batting my eyes for effect. For once, being young and small turned out to be useful. “I would be able to get guns and horses and come back for you!”  
Joe let his hands slip into the pockets of his yellow pants. “Well… That’s a really good plan.”  
Oh. My. Goodness, a voice in my head shrieked. It’s happening! Ok, don’t panic. This is not a drill! Get the balloons, and the confetti! And don’t forget the cake! This is actually happening!   
I was so excited! I could feel my heart beating madly in my chest. For the first time, I got Joe’s attention. And he liked my idea!  
“Great.” I chirped. “I’ll go tell Peabody I’m staying here!”  
I was about to run to the warden, when my brother caught me by my arm, “Wait.”  
I turned to him, puzzled. “But – why? I thought you said it was really a good plan…!”  
He nodded. “I know what I said. But I can’t let you do it.”  
At those words, my jaw dropped open. I tried to say something, but I couldn’t formulate an articulated thought. All of a sudden, I felt like a rock had fallen over my head. I was so close - ! What the Hell happened?  
“W-what…?” I chocked out, once I was able to speak again. “WHY?!”  
“It’s too dangerous, flea.” He answered, shaking his head.  
“Too dangerous?” I repeated in disbelief. “I always tag along during your escapes! How is this dangerous?”  
My brother shrugged. “Well, this is different, Niky. You’d be on your own.”  
“So?!”  
“It would be dangerous.” he repeated harshly. “You’re too young, too inexpert. You’d ending up getting into trouble.”  
“No I wouldn’t!” I retorted, my cheeks red with anger. “I can do it, Joe, I mean it! I can get you out of prison! Just give me a chance – I’ll prove it to you!”  
“I said ‘no’, flea.” he cut me off, rising a hand. “Final answer.”  
“This is so unfair!” I complained. I was so mad I stomped a foot on the ground as hard as I could.  
“Niky, I’m warning you…” said Joe, in a strict and way-too-familiar tone.  
I knew I should have faced it: Joe would have never allowed me to help him. In my brother’s eyes, I was just a clumsy little kid that would have never done anything right. Maybe I should have just resigned myself. But a voice inside me kept shouting that wasn’t fair. A voice that was growing louder and louder, insistent and incessant as my heartbeat, which was getting faster and faster. A voice that wasn’t going to be ignored. And I didn’t.  
“It’s not fair, Joe, and you know it!” I said, summoning all my courage. “I want to help you, Joe, and I can do it! Just let me try!”  
The frown on Joe’s face deepened. “Niky…”  
“Why wouldn’t you even let me try?” I asked, my voice squeakier than usual. “We always do what you say, and every time it’s a disaster!” I declared. I tried my best to ignore my brother’s shocked expression, and I went on, “Your plans always fail because you always want to do things your way and you never listen to anyone. But maybe this time - !”  
“ENOUGH!” Joe snapped. Before I could realize what he was doing, he stood on the tip of his toes and grabbed my ear.  
“OUCH!” I exclaimed as a piercing – and quite familiar – sensation started to spread from the point his fingers were clasping my ear. “Joe – Let me go!”  
“Not a chance.” he said in a strict tone. Ignoring my attempting to free myself, he started walking, dragging me along.  
“Oww, Joe, slow down!” I muttered, hurrying up to follow. “Where are we going?”  
Then, my brother stopped and finally let go off me.  
When his fingers slipped away from my ear, I hurried up to stand up straight, trying to compose myself and regain a little dignity. However, I let one of my hands sneaking up to my ear, to try and rub away some of the pain. At least, he’d let me go.  
But before I could rejoice for recovering my freedom, Joe spoke again. “Now, you will go back on the wagon like a good girl, and you’ll wait us there.” he said, pointing to the stagecoach that had brought us to the Broken-Wings’ village. I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off again. “And I don’t wanna hear another word from you, young lady. Is that clear?”  
I would have fought some more, but I have the feeling my combative side must have felt Joe’s ear pulling too: the voice in my head that not long ago was pushing me towards rebellion, was now weakly suggesting that I did as I was told, unless I was looking forward to spend the trip back to prison standing up.  
So I bit my lip, and nodded my head. After addressing my brother with another glare, I got on the wagon and nestled in one of the seats, hugging my knees. As soon as I heard Joe had departed and I was sure to be alone, I let out a big sigh.  
“This is not fair” I sulked, keeping on rubbing my ear. “Joe always thinks I’m going to make a mess. But I know I could get them out of jail.” I buried my face in my arms, and hugged myself. “One day, I’ll show him. And then Joe will have to listen to me. I’ll show him what I can do!”

 

JOE’S POV:

“That little brat!” I muttered through gritted teeth as I walked away from the wagon. “My plans always fail, huh? How dares that little pest say that?”  
I was furious. What did Niky know about escaping plans, anyway? It was easy for her to speak. It wasn’t her the one who had to come up with a new scheme everyday. She wasn’t the one who had to look after four younger siblings, and to deal with failure day after day. She wasn’t the eldest.  
I walked back to the group, my hands buried deep in my pockets and my eyes stuck to the ground. When I found my brothers, I marched to them at a very fast pace.  
“Hey, Joe, here you are!” William exclaimed when he saw me. “We’ve been looking all over for you!”  
“Look what I got from the gift-teepee, Joe!” said Averell, waving something around. Before I could reply, he placed a furry hat right under my nose. “Do you like it?”  
“Sure, Averell. It’s great.” I answered, without bothering to trying and sound convincing.  
“What’s wrong, Joe?” Joe asked. He looked me up close. “You seem nervous…”  
William looked around. “Hey, Joe… Where’s Niky?”  
“Wagon.”  
“How come?” Averell intervened, scratching his head. “The trip’s not over yet, we still have lots of things to see!”  
“Err… You didn’t ground her, did you?” William asked cautiously. He always worried that I was too strict with her. But this time, I had all the reasons to be furious.  
I nodded. “And she’d better behave herself for the rest of the day.” I turned to look at Fabulous-Falcon.  
The shaman was standing in front of a big brown-red-and-black mat, and he was explaining something to the inmates.   
“What is he babbling about?” I asked my brothers.  
“An old indian legend about a ghost shaman.” Jack answered, slipping his hands into his pockets.  
“According to the ancient mat, the ghost wanders around the camp at night, kidnapping children who don’t respect the tribe’s traditions.” William added, rubbing his chin.  
“That’s ridiculous.” I muttered, shaking my head.   
“I’m scared, Joe!” Averell whined, hugging the furry had as if it was a stuffed bear.  
“Cut it out, idiot.” I snapped. “How can you believe in such nonsense?”  
“Well, you have to admit we’ve seen our fair share of strange things since we arrived to the penitentiary, Joe.” William pointed out.  
Well, he had a point. But a children-kidnapping ghost? That was absolutely absurd, even for our standards. Before I could answer, though, Peabody’s voice resounded in the camp.  
“Very good, people. Trip’s over!” he announced, waving his arms. “Everybody get back on the wagon, we’re going back to the penitentiary!”  
A choir of disappointment comments and complaints instantly came from the group of inmates, but they eventually got back in line and started walking towards the stagecoach.  
“Awww, already?” Averell asked, visibly disappointed.  
“Come on.” I said. “Time to go home.”  
We waited for the other prisoners to take their seats, then we got on the wagon ourselves and looked around, trying to find our sister. It took me a few moments, but then I spotted a small figure nestled on one of the wooden seats, wrapped up in an old blanket. I shook my head. Niky must had fallen asleep.  
I at down next to her, and looked at her for a minute. She had managed to cover herself in such way that I couldn’t even see her face. At that sight, a thought crossed my mind: before Lucky Luke crossed our path, my brothers were the most feared gang in the whole West. Nobody dared to get on our way, and nobody had the guts to try and put us in prison. At the time, we could come home every night, and I could be there to tuck my little sister in, every single night. Niky would always stay up until we came home, to make sure we exchanged goodnight kisses, even if Mum always told her to go to bed. And every time, when I got home, she would run to me and jump into my arms.  
I sighed. I missed those times. But Joe Dalton could not revel in the past that much. A tough one, that’s what I am.  
Despite that, I sneaked closer to Niky and -after making sure no one was watching me- I put a hand on her head, caressing her through the blanket.  
“Awww!”  
“Shut up, Averell!”

 

It took us about half-an-hour to get bac to the penitentiary.  
“Come on, hurry up, dinnertime is coming up!” Peabody said.  
“Dinnertime?” echoed Jack, scratching his head. “is it really that late?”  
“Have we been at the indian camp all day long?” William asked, bewildered.  
“It’s scary how times flies while having a good time, huh?” Peabody intervene, peering out from behind us.  
“Joe, I’m hungry!” Averell whined. A long gurgling sound coming from his stomach proved him right.  
“All right, fine.” I muttered, stretching myself. I turned to Niky, and put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, flea. We’re home.”  
She didn’t answer.  
“Niky?” I called again, shaking her more firmly. “Come on, wake up, it’s time for dinner.”  
The blanked slipped aside, falling on the wagon floor.  
I started. “Oh no…”  
“What’s wrong, Joe?” Jack asked curious.  
“It’s… it’s not possible…” I stuttered, incapable of parting my eyes from the shocking sight in front of me.  
“What’s ‘not possible’, Joe?” William demanded, coming closer.  
“Did you find something to eat?” Averell asked.  
My brothers gathered around me, and lowered their gaze too. When they realized the reason to my shock, their jaws dropped open.  
On the seat where Niky should have been, rested nothing but a pile of sacks of grain.  
“Niky…” I murmured, distraught. “Niky’s gone!”


End file.
